


secret pathway

by sventeen



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Gen, catkai au is eternal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 11:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8055232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sventeen/pseuds/sventeen
Summary: what if kai had been a cat in human form all along? local bird takes joke premise too far,





	secret pathway

Pain shot through him, a special kind of agony that dug into his flesh, uprooted what felt like his very being.

Kai Toshiki had finally lost.

With the pain came exhaustion, weakness, a feeling like he couldn’t support himself anymore, a feeling like his existence was collapsing in on itself, and it suddenly made sense. How all of it ended looked a lot like how all of it began, and he managed a dry laugh as Aichi called his name.

‘I’m an idiot.’

He caught only a glimpse of the boy running towards him before harsh red fog surrounded him, blocking his vision, threatening to steal away everything it gave him.

'Sorry, Aichi… I have to go back, now.’

When the boy dropped to his knees and reached in to the haze, his hands grasped at nothing. Before he could even question it, the darkness evaporated, leaving nothing but a small, shivering cat. It laid on its side, eyes squeezed shut, breath coming quick and shallow.

“Kai… kun?”

Aichi stared blankly at the poor thing. Kai was here just seconds ago, but now there was just… a cat. None of this made any sense.

He reached out, though, gently running his fingers through its soft brown fur, and realized how familiar the little cat felt. Gingerly scooping it up, Aichi held the cat close to his chest as he stood. Its quivering lessened just slightly, and he smiled in relief.

“So, what do you think, Sendou Aichi?”

The voice made him sick at his stomach, and he turned to face its owner, his smile now a grim line.

The thing using Takuto’s body laughed. “Confused? Disappointed? I wouldn’t blame you.”

“What did you do to him?”

Void held his hands up. “Oh, you’re mistaken! I’ve done nothing to him– nothing recently, that is. What you’re holding is his true form.”

Aichi’s eyes widened. “But that’s… that’s impossible! Kai-kun, Kai-kun is–”

“A cat, yes. A mangy little stray!” He raised his shoulders and shook his head. “In fact, you met him in that form first, but you don’t even seem to remember. How sad!”

At this, the boy racked his brain, searching, searching, until he grabbed a certain thread of memory, years old, and followed it. An injured cat in the shady mouth of an alleyway mirrored the bruises and bandages on his own body. He couldn’t leave it there alone.

The realization must have shown in his face. Void grinned. “He grew attached to you, you see. He wanted nothing more than to stay at your side and protect you.” Another laugh. “But what could he do as he was? A mere beast can’t protect anything! That’s why I helped him.”

“Y-You…?”

“At the time, it was almost a silly risk, an unnecessary use of my power… but I thought that kind of determination could come in handy one day. So I came to him, and asked what he would do to see his wish come true.”

'Anything,’ the cat thought.

'Anything?’ the voice parroted.

'I want to help him. Please.’

'Then I’ll grant you the form you desire. And when I need you, I’ll come back.’

Though it hurt, the cat bore it, and when he looked down to see hands instead of little paws, he knew it’d been worth it.

“Even though he lost in the end, I’d say he proved more than useful. My gambit paid off, wouldn’t you say?”

Aichi grit his teeth. “Change him back!”

“He may have served me well, but he still failed. Why would I waste the energy making a provision for someone like him, especially when your world is about to end? He can live these final moments as the little mongrel he’s always been.”

“He’s not a mongrel!” The boy yelled. “He’s Kai-kun! He’s human!”

“Oh? Is that so?” He shrugged. “I don’t quite see it.”

Aichi couldn’t stand it any longer. Just looking at the other filled him with a kind of rage he’d rarely felt. “Fight me! Fight me, and I’ll beat you! For Earth, for my friends… for what you’ve done to Kai-kun! For how you took advantage of and hurt him! I swear I’ll beat you!”

Void sighed dramatically. “I guess I can’t keep sweeping you under the rug, can I? Fine. I’ll show you how big a mistake you’re making.”

As the familiar red mats materialized before them, Aichi held the cat closer for a moment before gently setting it at his feet. “I’ll win for you. I promise.”

The cat weakly nuzzled his shoe, and he smiled.


End file.
